April 2013 News

If you are planning on getting plastic surgery, there are a few things you need to consider before booking a procedure.

First, if you are thinking about having a non-surgical cosmetic procedure or cosmetic surgery, you should be aware that Medicare benefits do not apply to such treatments. Most private health insurance policies will not cover certain aspects of cosmetic procedures, such as hospital costs.

Victoria's Premier Denis Napthine announced on April 24 that Epping's Northern Hospital is in for a major upgrade.

The growing population of Melbourne's northern suburbs has motivated Victoria's government to fund the addition of a three-storey wing onto the hospital.

Mr Napthine stated yesterday that the government is making a preemptive strike, as it were, "to make sure that people and families in Melbourne’s north continue to have access to top-quality health services in the long-term".

Dental decay is one of the most commonly treated health problems in Australia.

A few state governments, including Queensland's, have recently declared that local councils are allowed to make up their own minds about whether to add fluoride to their towns' water supplies.

Water fluoridation, according to the Australian Dental Association (ADA), has been safely implemented in Australia for the past 50 years, and has proven itself to be an effective method of preventing dental decay.

A study compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - titled the "Australian Hospital Statistics 2011-12" report - demonstrates that Victorian public hospitals are top in the country when it comes to emergency patient treatment.

Falls may be an "inevitable part of ageing," says Professor Paddy Phillips, South Australia's chief medical officer, but there are ways to reduce the chances of personal injury.

"In 2012 more than 9,000 older South Australians were admitted to public hospitals due to falls and it is estimated a further 9,000 are treated in the emergency department and discharged home," claimed Professor Phillips in a statement released earlier this month (April 4).

Citizens of New South Wales may want to think about organising private health insurance in the near future, if a new report from Roy Morgan is anything to go by.

The research firm has this month released the results of its latest Alere Wellness Index, which has evaluated the health of Australia based on criteria including medical conditions, psychological wellbeing and lifestyle factors.

Five leading health groups have today (April 17) launched a campaign to protect Victorians from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

'Keep Fresh Air Fresh' aims to ban smoking in all outdoor dining and drinking areas. It is part of a wider crusade by Victoria's Department of Health to eradicate second-hand smoke from other public areas, such as swimming pools and outdoor skate parks.

According to Asthma Australia, approximately 2 million Australians are currently suffering from asthma. The disease also causes around 400 deaths throughout the country every year.